348 State Horticultural Society. 



In addition to the cutting away of old canes and superfluous young- 

 shoots, the pruning- of gooseberries consists in thinning- out and heading 

 in the young wood on the old canes that are left. The weak and poorly 

 developed branches are removed, as are also some of the stronger ones 

 if they are too numerous. The aim is to have the new bearing wood as 

 evenly distributed as possible. The branches which are left are shortened 

 back to from 8 to 12 inches. A new shoot w^hich is to be left to develop 

 into a cane should be headed back to a height of from 16 to 20 inches. 



The excessive aniount of w^ood in the bush before pruning is not due 

 to neglect, but to the natural development of the plant under normal 

 conditions. A gooseberry bush which does not make a large amount 

 of new wood each season is too weak to amount to much in the fruiting 

 line. Yet a large portion of this new wood niust be removed in order 

 to insure large size in the fruit and a normal growth of wood for the 

 next year. 



The best time to prune gooseberries is very early in spring, before 

 growth starts. For cutting out the old canes, a pair of two-hand pruning 

 shears is the proper tool; and for the other pruning there is nothing 

 equal to a sharp bill-hook pruning knife. In using a pruning knife, the 

 arm should be held straight rather than bent at the elbow. Otherwise the 

 knife is likely to slip and cut further than the operator intended. — Orange 

 Judd Farmer. 



A WHITE BLACKBERRY. 



When something unusual in the line of modifying plants takes 

 place, the name of Luther Burbank, of Santa Rosa, California, comes in- 

 voluntarily to mind. 



For some time Mr. Burbank has been engaged in cultivating various 

 grades of blackberries, obtaining by cross-breeding a grade which he 

 calls the "Iceberg," and finds the plant is as productive and hardy as the 

 black variety, the berries being as abundant, large, handsome and deli- 

 cious as the best black ones. The change in the color of the fruit does 

 not affect its flavor. A field of these 'Tceberg" berries is a veritable 

 picture to the eye. 



The well-known Lawton blackberry is one of the great grand-parents 

 of this white blackberry. The Lawton when ripe is excellent. It is 

 one of the most productive berries on the market. Owing to its fixity 

 of race, it is said to produce itself from seed almost exactly, and its seed- 

 lings will not be influenced, when raised from seed pollinated by other 

 varieties but readily imparts its good qualities when employed as the 

 staminate parent. 



